As companies begin to hire more contract workers over full-time employees, the “gig economy” is becoming a viable option for full-time employment. However, with more freelancers, it’s harder to stand out when there’s more competition for work. It can be especially difficult trying to land your first freelance gig. To help those who are new…
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS. Like anything else, the best sales tactics are bound to change over time. What worked yesterday doesn’t necessarily work today, and the present “best practices” may be ineffective a year or two from now. Salespeople must continually keep up with the changing trends and learn how to adapt to…
Sometimes it feels like everyone is talking about leadership. The myriad perspectives seem to confuse the topic. Reasons to get into the field of leadership are plentiful, but to me, none is greater than the desire to serve and be part of something larger than the mere existence brought about by daily routines in the…
We have all seen it and even experienced it: a reaction to an event, a comment or even a thing that triggers an immediate emotional response accompanied by secondary and tertiary effects. But when and why does this happen? Well, these questions have myriad answers, but I believe many people experience these feelings when trying to…
For the longest time I’ve held the position that referring to leadership skills as soft skills is a misnomer. The inference has always been that leadership is not necessarily a science or a technical field; hence, the soft skill mantra, as if calling it a soft skill makes it less important — rendering it less…
1. Make It Clear Who’s Responsible For What A crisis is usually an offshoot of being unprepared. Create a plan for the most common snags in your business and assign authority and responsibility. Make it clear who is responsible for what and how to get in touch with them. Then share that plan with everyone…
Owning your own business can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it means that you can work on your own time and set your schedule. On the other hand, navigating an industry as a business owner is considerably more difficult than doing so as an employee or a consumer. Sometimes, new business owners…
When you hear the phrase “public speaking,” you might envision the act of standing in front of a group and giving a speech. It may even give you instant anxiety. But when you take the” public” out of public speaking, your stage fright might dissipate. Here is an example: I recently walked into a retail store…
I often hear people talk about being part of a “team.” I usually hear mantras related to team development when someone is making a business case to get one of their proposals approved or when insisting that teamwork is the only real way to get anything meaningful and difficult done. The more I think about…